Determination of Burnout Syndrome among Middle and Senior Managers in Manufacturing Industry in Ciudad Juarez

Abstract

Burnout syndrome is caused by chronic job stress and it is considered one of the main professional diseases of XXI Century. In developing countries like Mexico, occupations as middle and senior manager positions have not been sufficiently explored on this topic, especially in the industrial manufacturing sector. These personnel are fundamental for the growth of industries and usually must respond to high work demands, such as: short time decision making processes, extended working hours, personnel organization, production difficulties, among others. A sample of 361 participants was conformed; 34 were senior managers and 327 middle managers from several departments. The Maslach Burnout Inventory General-Survey (MBI-GS) was applied in six manufacturing companies in Ciudad Juarez. The Burnout was determined by grades and levels. Percentiles 33.3 and 66.6 were used as cut off points for each dimension: Emotional Exhaustion, Cynicism and Professional Effectiveness, five levels of Burnout were determined as none, low, middle, fairly and extreme. Results indicate a middle grade of Burnout for all three dimensions among senior and middle managers. By levels, 46.26% presents fairly and extreme level, 15.51% have a middle level and 38.23% presents none or low levels of Burnout. In conclusion, it is recommended that manufacturing industries take preventive actions that contribute to physical and mental health of their key workers.